Kasha, Caul Sausages, and Grain Patties

[Translator’s note: There is no one way to prepare kasha, one of Russia’s oldest and most traditional dishes. In medieval Russia the word “kasha” was used to mean a feast. Any grain preparation—buckwheat, cornmeal, barley, millet, rice, semolina—that is cooked with water, milk, or broth, either in the oven or on top of the stove, is kasha. It can vary in consistency from soft and moist to firm and dry, and in flavor from sweet to savory. It may be eaten at any meal at any time of the day, from a simple peasant supper to a lavish formal banquet, and it may fill a pirog, serve as a side dish, or be transformed into an elegant dessert.]